West Virginia Online Casino Tax Increase Bill: How Much More Could The State Make
By Drew Ellis
Published:
The West Virginia online casino industry is continuing to be in a growth period.
More revenue is pouring in each month and year, which is leading to more tax revenue for the state.
Currently, lawmakers are weighing moving up the tax rate on iGaming revenue from 15% to 25%.
It’s certainly a move that could lead to millions and millions more each month for West Virginia.
Breaking Down WV Online Casino Revenue
Online casinos launched in West Virginia in July of 2020 as part of Fiscal Year 2021.
The West Virginia Lottery releases revenue data on the state’s iGaming in a weekly format over the span of a fiscal year, which runs from July 1-June30.
Here’s a look at how the online casino revenue has continued to grow each year.
WV online casinos saw their biggest gain in all areas from FY24 to FY25. Still, FY26 is on pace to still see significant growth.
Through 29 weeks (55.8% of a year), online wagers are already at 68.8% of where they were for FY25. Online casino revenue is already at 73.5% of where it was last year, as is tax revenue.
Current pacing calls for FY26 to finish with around $9.3 billion in iGaming wagers, $405.5 million in revenue, and $60.8 million in tax revenue.
Where Tax Revenue Could Get for West Virginia
Thus far, West Virginia online casinos have brought in $983.6 million in revenue since launch, just shy of the $1 billion milestone.
That has produced a total of $147.5 million in tax revenue for West Virginia with its 15% rate.
Should the current proposed legislation of a 25% tax rate on online casino revenue been enacted originally, West Virginia would be sitting at $245.9 million in tax revenue. That’s nearly an additional $100 million for the state.
There’s still opportunity for West Virginia to capitalize on the growing trend. FY26 is showing us that revenue from iGaming isn’t slowing down anytime soon. The five biggest revenue weeks in WV all came during this current winter.
- Week of Dec. 6: $9,659,758
- Week of Jan. 3: $9,205,916
- Week of Nov. 29: $9,198,418
- Week of Nov. 15: $8,811,895
- Week of Jan. 10: $8,584,305
These five weeks alone brought in $6.8 million in tax revenue for West Virginia. That’s more than all of FY21.
Now, if the tax rate was 25%, those five weeks would have generated $11.4 million.
Given a 25% rate is more in line with what other iGaming states have, I would expect lawmakers to eventually pass legislation to raise the current rate. The current 15% tax rate is the lowest of any legal iGaming state in the US.
Drew Ellis has experience covering the gambling industries in North America and around the world. Decades of media experience provide him with the background to handle the complexities of different gambling laws and policies around the United States and North America. Ellis has primarily focused on online and retail casino news since 2021. Prior to working in the gambling industry, Ellis spent over 20 years in the newspaper industry, covering sports and the gambling. His work for The Mt. Pleasant Morning Sun and The Oakland Press was recognized with awards by the Associated Press and other media organizations. Drew has also contributed to the Detroit Free Press and the Associated Press.
